


Rewrite the Ending

by Oracle507



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, Caring Logic | Logan Sanders, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Insecurity, M/M, Nightmares, POV Logic | Logan Sanders, Panic Attacks, Post-Episode: ACCEPTING ANXIETY Part 2/2: Can Anxiety Be Good?, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29077626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oracle507/pseuds/Oracle507
Summary: The aftermath of Virgil's first movie night leads to a sad discovery.Remix of  It’s Only A Dream by SentientMango
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58
Collections: TSS Fanworks Collective Discord: January Remix Challenge!





	Rewrite the Ending

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [It’s Only A Dream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23938453) by [SentientMango](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SentientMango/pseuds/SentientMango). 
  * In response to a prompt by [SentientMango](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SentientMango/pseuds/SentientMango) in the [tss_fanworks_collective_discord_january_remix_challenge](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/tss_fanworks_collective_discord_january_remix_challenge) collection. 



> TW: Nightmares, panic attacks, fear of abandonment

If asked, Logan would not be able to provide a rational explanation for why he decided to do his research in the living room most days. It was loud, the other sides interrupted him constantly, and he had a perfectly functional desk in his room. Perhaps there was no rational explanation. Perhaps he just appreciated the other sides’ company. Of course, the embodiment of logic could never admit to having such emotion-driven motivations. It was a good thing Patton and Roman never questioned him. That meant all he had to do was not question himself and he could go on with the useful delusion of him being a constantly rational being.

He was in the middle of research when Roman plopped down on the couch next to him. “Good morning,” Roman said. “Are you still good for movie night tonight?”

“Of course. No relevant circumstances have changed since we first agreed on the date, correct?”

“I mean, not really, but Patton is thinking about inviting our new knight in dull armor. Well, less thinking about, more insisting.”

Logan looked up at him.  _ Is he against the idea of him attending? _ “I’d thought that was a given. He is, after all, one of us now.”

Roman raised his hands defensively. “I know, I know. It’s just… a lot is changing all at once. I was just wondering because… You’re logic. Don’t you like things to stay consistent and organized?”

Logan sighed. “That is very blatant projection, but I’ll let it slide because you have been making an obvious attempt to help Virgil feel included.”

“You do realize calling me out is the opposite of letting it go, right?”

“My point is, Virgil’s inclusion tonight will not change much beyond the addition of an extra person. I in no way see that as disorganized and am fine with a little inconsistency if the change is for the better. Us including Virgil more will have a positive effect on both Thomas and Virgil himself.”

Roman beamed. “My thoughts exactly. I’ll go talk to Pat.” He got up and ran to the kitchen.

Logan couldn’t tell if Roman was looking for someone who shared his misgivings about suddenly including Virgil or for someone to talk him out of those feelings. Assuming Roman’s speech earlier was genuine, the latter was much more likely. Roman’s antagonism towards Virgil was, while completely unjustified, still understandable. Anxiety often got in the way of the creative process, leading to days at a time where Roman could barely do his job. Beyond that, Roman was Thomas’ ‘hero’, and the heroes in media Thomas has seen are often very reluctant to trust those previously deemed a villain. Roman easily could have absorbed that trait. Despite both of those points, Roman was still determined to change his ways and accept Virgil. Logan appreciated that.

Patton left the kitchen smiling, Roman right behind him. “Okay, what do we want to do for our first movie night with Virgil?”

“Must we do anything beyond our usual set-up? Going out of our way to make this time special would likely make Virgil feel more… anxious.”

“There goes my idea for purple spider-themed blankets,” Roman muttered.

Patton shuddered before his excitement returned. “Our first movie night with my son! Amazing! Oh, what should I make? He likes pasta, right? I swear I remember him saying he likes pasta.”

“Pasta is far from a standard movie night food,” Logan said. “In any case, you should not be getting your hopes up. There is still a chance he could say no.”

Patton’s face fell. “What? No, he has to come. He’s one of us now and-”

“Nevertheless, he should be allowed to choose whether or not he attends.”

Patton sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” His eyes lit up. “Wait, what if we let him pick the movie? Then he’d be more likely to come, right?”

“Given Thomas’ anxiety when it comes to decision making, I’m sure that would only bring him stress.”

“Plus, it’s my turn to pick. We’re watching Moana tonight whether Virgil comes or not,” Roman said.

“Okay, you’re right.” Patton let out a puff of air. “Let’s go ask him together. Come on!” He turned around and started making his way towards the hallway. Logan put his laptop down on the table in front of him before following, realizing he’d barely gotten any work done.  _ I really should start researching in my room again. _

* * *

Patton knocked on Virgil’s door, Roman and Logan standing behind him.Virgil opened the door. “Yeah?” He said, voice just as rough as it normally was. Not much about Virgil had changed since being accepted by the others. Logan had hoped for something more, some sign he was less stressed and in general better off. He still slouched. His eyes were still sunken. At least Logan knew, logically, Virgil must be happier now, even if he rarely openly showed it.

“We have a movie night tonight and  _ you’re _ invited.” Patton playfully booped him on the nose at the word ‘you’re’.

Virgil took a small step back. “Movie night?”

“Are you not familiar with the term?” Logan asked. “We all occasionally gather at night to watch a movie of one of our choosing.”

“No, I know what a movie night is, it’s just… Sure, I’ll come.”

“Fantastic!” Roman said. Logan could tell Roman’s smile was slightly forced, but that was likely because he knew of Roman’s initial reluctance. Hopefully Virgil would interpret his enthusiasm as genuine.  _ He’s trying. That’s all we can really ask of him. _

“Good to hear it, kiddo. We’re watching Moana at 8,” Patton said.

“Uh…” Virgil averted his gaze. “Yeah, um, see you then.” He stepped back and closed the door on them.

* * *

Virgil showed up in the living room a few minutes prior to the requested time. They’d already gone through the process of moving all of their pillows and blankets out there by the time he arrived. Logan watched Virgil as he stared at the couch. Roman and Patton were still in the kitchen preparing popcorn.

“You may sit wherever you like,” Logan said from behind him. Virgil startled and turned around. “My apologies. I only thought you were fretting over where you should sit. Anywhere is fine.”

Virgil nodded. “Thanks, teach.” He walked over and sat on the back of the couch, back against the wall and feet on the cushion.

Logan suppressed his initial instinct to chastise Virgil for his behavior.  _ This is Virgil’s first movie night. I should be as inviting as possible. _ “Are you sure you will be comfortable like that for the full duration of a movie?”

“I always sit like this.”

“Perhaps, but…” Logan imagined Virgil falling asleep mid-movie and falling over. Possibly falling onto them. “It is hardly practical for you to-”

“Fine, whatever.” Virgil moved to sit on the couch the proper way, sliding down the back of the couch until his knees were against his chest. He looked up at Logan. “Happy now?”

“I would prefer it if you took your feet off the couch, but this is adequate. Thank you.”

Virgil rolled his eyes before putting his feel down. “God, this is uncomfortable…”

A small part of Logan regretting calling Virgil out on his seating choices. Now he fiddled with his jacket sleeve, averting his eyes from Logan.  _ And now I’ve made him anxious. Or perhaps he was already anxious and it is more clear now. _ He sat down at the other end of the couch.  _ Best get this out of the way before Patton comes out. _ “Do you not wish to be here?”

"No!” It was Logan’s turn to be startled as Virgil screamed this. Virgil took a breath. “I want to be here, kay?”

“Good. I worried you felt pressured to come for Patton’s sake.”

Virgil scoffed. “Patton wouldn’t be able to pressure me into anything.” He returned to playing with his jacket.

Patton and Roman came out of the kitchen with 4 bags of popcorn (plain for Logan, buttered for Roman and Virgil, kettle corn for Patton). “Good evening, everyone! We come with gifts,” Roman said.

“Yay, Virgil’s here!” Patton plopped down in the middle seat of the couch as Roman took his usual seat on the ground. Logan tried to check on Virgil, but Patton being in the way made that difficult.  _ No need to fret. It is not my job to look after Virgil. He says he wants to be here, after all. _

* * *

Patton fell asleep at around the same time Tamatoa sang “Shiny”. He slumped against Virgil’s shoulder, snoring softly. Virgil stiffened, looking at Patton as if he were a venomous snake coiling up his arm. “He is a heavy sleeper,” Logan said. “I’m sure he would not wake if you had him lean on me instead”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t really care.” Virgil locked his eyes on the movie. Logan continued to look at him, scanning him for signs of anxiety.

Roman turned around. “He’s asleep already? Guess you really must’ve tired him out.” He lightly hit Virgil on the knee.

It took Virgil a moment to respond. “What do you mean?”

Roman raised an eyebrow. “All your emotional vulnerability? Telling us your name? It’s been nonstop emotional overload since you disappeared. Patton’s always wiped out when Thomas has an emotional crisis. Pretty sure you’re whole thing counts. Plus, he was worried about you and is real happy you’re one of us now. Again, lots of emotions.”

Logan examined Virgil’s expression. He’d expected Virgil to relax at the reminder of how much Patton cared for him. Instead, Virgil bit his lip before pulling his hood up. “Sure, I guess that makes sense.”

Roman resumed watching the movie. Logan determined to watch Virgil and make sure he was okay. Unfortunately, the hood got in the way of that. After thirty more minutes of no change, the softer songs of the latter half of Moana started to affect Logan. He felt his eyes drift shut as Moana’s grandmother sang about how proud she was. He couldn’t make himself open them again.

* * *

Logan awoke an indeterminate amount of time later, the glow of a cell phone illuminating his surroundings. He looked over Patton and saw Virgil playing on his phone. Patton was still laying on Virgil. He noticed Roman asleep on the ground with his head leaning against Logan’s knee. He did his best not to wake him as he adjusted into a more comfortable position.

“Oh, um, good morning, I guess,” Virgil said.

Logan checked his watch and, sure enough, it was 12:01. “Have you been awake all this time?” he asked.

“I mean, I had this,” he waved his phone, “so it wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was not your potential boredom that concerns me. Are you not tired?”

“Nah, I normally don’t go to sleep til-”

Roman yawned, stretching his arms wide and almost hitting Logan in the face. “Time for bed?” he asked.

“Ah, yes. We should wake Patton-”

Roman cut Logan off with a gesture. He got up with far too much energy for someone who was sleeping moments ago. “I’ll carry him.” He picked Patton up bridal style effortlessly. “Goodnight, Logan. Thanks for coming, Virge.”

The two remaining sides watched Roman leave. Virgil stood up. “I’m going to be too. Night.”

Logan took a second after everyone left to reorganize the blankets and pillows to make the morning clean-up easier. He thought about Virgil, staying up for hours, careful not to wake Patton.  _ Perhaps it was the light of the phone that stopped him from growing tired. I should take some time soon to discuss better sleep habits with him. _

* * *

Logan awoke again, this time in his bed. His groggy mind took a second to identify the sound that woke him. A crash? An animal? Then it happened again. One of the other sides was screaming. He jumped out of bed and ran to the hallway. Roman and Patton burst out of their rooms moments later.  _ Virgil. _ Patton made it to the room first, not even bothering to knock before throwing the door open.

Logan and Roman followed close behind. They saw Virgil curled up on his side, trembling. “Virgil!” Patton screamed as he started desperately shaking him awake. Virgil pushed away so hard he almost fell off the bed. As Logan tried to figure out what they should do, Roman ran to Virgil’s other side and clapped his hands hard right in Virgil’s face.

Virgil’s eyes flew open and he sat up. He backed himself up against the headboard, his breathing very irregular. Logan moved to sit in front of him. Thankfully, Roman backed off and gently pulled Patton away, giving him room. “Virgil, can you hear me?” Virgil nodded. “I want you to try and breathe with me, in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, out for 8. I’ll count for you.”

The two of them sat together, Virgil breathing and Logan counting, until Virgil’s muscles relaxed and he could control his breathing. “I’m good now, thanks.” Virgil didn’t meet his eyes.

It seemed that was the que Patton was waiting for, because the second Virgil spoke he broke away from Roman and pulled Virgil into a hug. “Patton!” Logan went to pull him away when Virgil melted into the hug. While Patton very easily could have just thrown Virgil back into panic, in this case the hug was good.

“You’re okay, kiddo,” Patton said. “Everything’s alright. It was just a dream.”

“Thanks… Dad, I’m good now. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, too bad, cause I’m gonna worry anyway.” The hug ended when Patton moved to sit besides Virgil.

Roman joined them, taking a seat at the end of the bed. “So, our Nightmare had a nightmare?” He asked. Patton glared at him. “What? I was just asking a question.”

“Yeah, it was a dream. You guys don’t have to worry about it, though. I don’t normally scream like that.”

“Don’t normally?” Logan asked. “Is this a normal occurrence for you?”

“Well, not… this.” He gestured at everyone. “But the dream, yeah. It’s not a big deal, though. Like I said, I normally don’t yell. This shouldn’t happen again.”

“Virgil, that is not  _ at all _ the problem here,” Roman said. “How often does this happen?”

“Every time I remember my dream basically, so I assume always.” 

Patton winced, eyes tearing up. “Why didn’t you say anything? We would’ve helped you.”

Virgil punched the area of the bed next to him in a sudden rush of anger. “Right, because I’m sure if  _ Anxiety  _ walked up to one of you a month ago, you would’ve loved to help!” Logan considered this. He imagined Virgil approaching for help. Surely he would have assisted Virgil with something as big as this, right?

“I would’ve helped you!” Patton said. “I don’t want you to be sad, I never did!”

“It doesn’t matter if we would’ve helped,” Roman muttered. Everyone turned to him. “We made him feel like we wouldn’t help. I made him feel like that. I…” He looked Virgil right in the eyes. “I am so sorry. I swear to do better and help you however I can as a Prince should have done from the start.”

Virgil stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I was an ass at the start. It’s not your fault. It isn’t your job to fix me, anyway.”

“Our goal is not to fix you, Virgil,” Logan said. “We want you to be happier and healthier. That is something friends do for each other, is it not?” Patton nodded as he fought to stop his tears. “Sleep is a very important factor in the quality of one’s life. That is why I was concerned you did not sleep during our movie night.”

“You didn’t sleep?” Patton asked.

Virgil shook his head. “I know I can kick sometimes. I didn’t want something to happen.”

Roman put a hand over his heart. ‘I promise that you may kick me any time if it helps you sleep better.”

With a laugh, Virgil said, “I don’t think that’s necessary, but thanks.”

“I will do some research into nightmares,” Logan said. “I can find various methods for stopping them that we can test out until we find one best for you.”

“I’m not so sure we can stop them.”

“Well, it certainly won’t hurt to try. I for one would like to try everything I can to assist you in this.”

“For now, cuddles!” Patton hugged Virgil again. The two of them slid down until they were laying on the bed. Roman joined them in the cuddle pile, pulling Logan down with him.

* * *

Logan could never remember his dreams. Or maybe he didn’t dream at all. He knew humans always dreamt, but he was not human. Dreams were wholly illogical constructions of the imagination. Perhaps that was why Thomas’s logic never had then.

When asked a while ago, Patton explained that his dreams were always old memories. A family picnic. His first date. His first break up. Graduation. A pet dying. Not always happy, but always something Thomas had a strong emotional reaction to. He rarely had nightmares, but when he did it was something real. Past, but real.

Roman shared his dreams with anyone who would listen. One time he slayed a dragon by cutting off his hair and using it as a sword. Another time he saved a Prince by kissing him so passionately it gave both of them superpowers. Logan never bothered to ask follow up questions, very quickly learning that any responseRoman gave would give him more questions than answers. Roman’s dreams were always heroic and awe inspiring. At least, all the dreams he told people about were heroic and awe inspiring.

_ “I’m not so sure we can stop them,” _ Virgil had said.

If every side’s dreams reflected their function, then perhaps it was true that Virgil would always have nightmares. That thought didn’t stop Logan from taking his laptop to his room in order to do research on the subject. He did all his important research in his room.

* * *

He was able to find a couple of good ideas after scouring the internet for reliable sources and the most agreed upon advice. The first, most common strategy was the most obvious: keep a regular sleep schedule. It seemed most sleep-related ailments could be solved this way. Second tip, wake up fully after a nightmare. One should get up and do something rather than letting themself fall back to sleep, possibly into the same nightmare.

Many resources he found brought up how past trauma could affect nightmares. Logan couldn’t think of anything traumatic in Virgil’s past and hoped there was not anything he simply wasn’t aware of. Given that and the fact that Virgil was not in any position to stare delicate information of that nature with them yet, Logan saved tips for possible use at a later date before moving on.

One strategy for dealing with nightmares greatly intrigued Logan: rewrite the end of the nightmare as a way of rewiring the brain. One should think about how the nightmare started and mentally work out an ending where everything is fine and happy.  _ This would be perfect for Roman to help with. _ A small part of Logan wondered if Roman would be willing to participate in this, but the thought dissipated quickly. Roman clearly demonstrated his desire to help after they all found out about this.

Armed with his knowledge, Logan left his room to share this research with the others.

* * *

Logan found the other sides in the living room. They all sat on the couch (pillows and blankets from the night before now absent) eating pasta. Virgil sat on the back of the couch as he initially had for movie night.

Patton got up and put his bowl on the table. “Oh, Logan! I made you some, too. I wanted to bring it to you but I know you don’t like it when we interrupt your room-research.”

Logan took a seat as Patton walked past him to the kitchen. “Good afternoon, Virgil. I hope you are feeling better.”

Virgil shrugged. “It’s whatever. You guys really shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it.”

“Virgil!” Roman said. “We already talked about this. It is a big deal and we’re going to help you.” He took another bite of pasta before muttering, “You’re lucky Patton didn’t hear that…”

Patton came out of the kitchen and handed Logan a bowl before sitting down. “What’d you find?”

Logan couldn’t help but feel a little bit giddy whenever he gets to share his research, let alone has someone ask for if. He only wished this occurred under better circumstances. “A large amount of the advice I found is typical for any issue regarding sleep. The primary goal we should strive for is for Virgil to have a consistent, healthy sleep schedule.”

“You… You want me,  _ Anxiety _ , to have a consistent sleep schedule?”

“It would be helpful for you to try, yes.”

Virgil shrugged. “Fine. What else?” Logan exclaimed his body language. He leaned back with his hood up, clear signs on most people that he doesn’t particularly care about what’s happening around him. Even so, he carefully set Patton’s bowl in his lap to ensure it wouldn’t fall. His eyes darted between all of them occasionally to check in on how they were feeling. He cared, but wanted them to think he didn’t. He didn’t want them to ‘waste time’ helping him, but didn’t want to jettison their gifts once provided.

“You should also try and not fall back asleep immediately after a nightmare. It is best to reset your brain so you do not return to the same nightmare.”

“So I can have a different nightmare? I told you, I have a nightmare every time I sleep.”

That was admittedly a fair point, thought Logan was operating under the assumption that that would get better over time. He had to. “Again, these are strategies to try. If they are not effective, then at least we can know to write them off.”

“What else do you have?” Patton asked.

“I found something interesting that could help lessen the effects of nightmares even if they don’t go away. You could go through your nightmare once you wake up and ‘rewrite the ending’ as some resources but it. Give the nightmare a happy ending to contextualize it. I believe Roman could help with this.”

“Oh, of course!” Roman said. “Happily ever afters are my thing. If you tell me what happened, I could-”

“No,” Virgil cut him off. “I’m not talking about them. I’m fine with all the other shit if it’d make you guys feel better about it, but I’m not using you all like a therapist.”

“Well, it’s not really using us if we’re volunteering, is it?” Patton asked. “We just wanna help you and I don’t mind hearing some dark stuff if it’d help.”

“Listen, I’ve been dealing with this for a while. It’s always best if I just ignore it and move on.”

“The goal is to mediate the effects the nightmares have on you, hopefully ending them in the process. Suppression is not a good strategy for that,” Logan said.

“We don’t even know if anything will work. Nothing’s ever stopped them before.”

Patton pouted. “But didn’t our cuddle pile help?”

“I said I slept better, not that the dreams were better.”

“Wait,” Logan said. “If the… ‘cuddle pile’ was able to improve your quality of sleep, that could be implemented into our strategies. Perhaps we could take turns-”

“I’m not going to cuddle people every night. I already told you, I kick sometimes.”

“And I said I’m willing to be kicked as many times as it takes to help you,” Roman said.

“I know what you said! I don’t care, I’m not doing it!”

Patton put a hand on Virgil’s knee. “I know you’re nervous, kiddo, and I know you aren’t actually mad at us. You don’t want to be a burden on us, but you’re not even if you do let us help. We want you to be happy which means we need to do what we can to help you. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll stop. I promise.”

Virgil stared at Patton’s hand for a moment before pulling his hood up further over his eyes. As much as Logan wanted Virgil to help, he wasn’t sure if he appreciated Patton’s method of more or less guilting him into it. The last thing Logan wanted to do was violate Virgil’s boundaries. Nevertheless, nothing Patton said was false. They all wanted to help Virgil. Logan couldn’t stand the idea of Virgil waking up terrified and alone every night. It made him feel sick to think about it. He didn’t know where this protective instinct came from all of the sudden. He wanted, no, needed to make sure Virgil felt safe and happy. No more nightmares. No more anything.  _ Virgil is Thomas’ anxiety. Of course I want the best for such a core part of Thomas’s health. That’s all this is. _

“Fine,” Virgil said. “We can try this.”

* * *

They came up with a temporary gameplan for mission No More Nightmares. Virgil will do his best to go to sleep at 11pm and wake up at 7am (Virgil wanted to make it 2am to 10am, but the others talked him out of it). Patton, Logan, and Roman will rotate who sleeps in Virgil’s room each night, the others joining if the nightmare was worse than usual. If Virgil wakes up in the middle of the night, the person with him will make sure Virgil is able to calm down before going back to sleep.

After a week, the sides had another meeting in order to track their progress. Virgil admitted the nightmares were less intense and he slept better, but the nightmares still kept happening. Logan assumed that was the case, since Virgil needed help calming down in the middle of the night both of his turns sleeping in Virgil’s room. Patton and Roman said the same was true for both of them. Virgil, predictably, tried to claim this was evidence the nightmares were inevitable and everyone should stop wasting their time trying to fix this. Logan could think of other factors inhibiting their progress but figured now was not the time to bring it up. Instead, he asked Virgil to give the experiment more time. He reluctantly agreed.

As far as Logan could tell, Virgil was the most likely cause for their lack of progress. Sure, he went to sleep at the right time and let the others sleep in his room, but he took no extra steps to make this work. Most importantly, he refused to talk about his nightmares. No matter who asked or how much they pleaded, Virgil ended any conversation about the topic. Virgil likely couldn’t get better if he let the dark thoughts cluster, never giving voice to them or allowing another perspective to contradict the terrible things his nightmares told him. This concerned Logan, of course, but he didn’t want to overstep Virgil’s boundaries. Virgil will share when he’s ready with whoever he was most comfortable with. Logan would just have to be okay with that.

* * *

Three days later, it was Logan’s turn to clean up after dinner. He watched as Patton and Roman left before picking up everyone’s dishes. He noted Virgil’s presence in the room but didn’t want to draw attention to it.

As he put the dishes in one side of the sink and began filling the other with water, Virgil said, “I can dry,” before joining him by the sink with a towel.

Logan nodded. “Thank you.” Virgil by no means had any responsibility to help, but Logan had learned by this point to not turn Virgil away when he sought out company.

The process went by much faster than it typically did. The two of them remained silent, focusing on their respective jobs. Logan switched to putting dishes away as Virgil dried the remaining dishes.

Just as Logan put the final plate away, Virgil said, “I know I haven’t been doing everything I should to help.”

Logan turned to look at Virgil, who was now sitting on the counter.  _ I’ll let that be for now. _ “What do you mean? You just assisted me in-”

“I don’t mean housework. I mean…” He pointed at his head.

“Ah…” Logan had meant to broach the topic with Virgil at some point, but the thought of Virgil bringing it up never crossed his mind. “I will admit we have not made as much progress as I had thought we might.”

“Yeah, and I know you want me to talk about my nightmares with everyone, but...You know how they are. They both have way too many feelings and I don’t want that.”

“And you think telling me will be easier?”

Virgil nodded. “I still don’t think this is gonna work, but I don’t wanna be the reason it doesn’t. Everyone’s trying so hard, especially you.”

Logan sat down at the table. “Well then, would you like to discuss this now?”

Virgil reluctantly hopped down off the counter and took the seat next to him. “You better not tell them about this.”

“I have no intention to.”

“Good.” Virgil took a deep breath. “A lot of my nightmares, well, most of them recently, have involved all of you turning on me again. Realizing you were wrong about me and Thomas would be better off if I… wasn’t here anymore. And I can’t rewrite that ending like you want me to. No matter how long I’m with you guys, how many times you all say you care, you can always change your mind. And I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

While Logan did not anticipate this exactly, he was not surprised to learn Virgil still feared for his place among them. Virgil had spent much more time as an enemy than as a friend. Even so, the worry was wholly illogical. “I can assure you there is no reason for any of us to turn against you once more. I have never truly disliked you and Patton clearly cares for you. Although Roman’s affection may not be as obvious, his desire to welcome you with us is quite genuine. And Thomas is certainly not better off without you. We obtained much objective evidence towards that point earlier.”

“I  _ know  _ that, I really do. I don’t actually think you guys are gonna kick me out. That doesn’t exactly make the nightmares stop, or make thinking about it less awful.”

Logan couldn’t imagine any scenario that would result in him no longer liking Virgil. The depth to which he cared for Thomas and his fellow sides was so clear he didn’t know how it hadn’t always been obvious. His care came from both logic and emotion. How could Virgil fear we would deny him? How could we deny him for so long? He was a core part of Thomas and no core part of Thomas could possibly be wholly bad.

“I… am not good with emotion. I don’t know how to console you through any means besides logic. At the same time, I know logic isn’t what you need.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself. I’m not sure what I need, either.”

“I will say, I’m not sure if I agree that this nightmare cannot be rewritten. Are we not rewriting it now with this conversation? With every meal we have together? Every day of your life is proof the nightmare is wrong.”

A tear fell down Virgil’s cheek and Logan felt a surge of… not affection, that would be too emotional. Logan desperately wanted Virgil to be okay, to stop having nightmares and fearing abandonment. How could they ever do such a thing to him? Never, they never would.

“If my nightmares can’t be logiced way, how do I fix them?” Virgil asked.

“Perhaps time will allow your positive emotions to overtake the negative ones.”

“Yeah, that… that’d be good.” Virgil stood up. “Thanks for… this. I’ll try to talk more about this stuff.”

“Of course. Please feel free to talk to me any time you wish.” Virgil nodded before leaving the room.

Logan sat by himself for a moment to think the conversation over. Even if they had no solution yet, this was a definite step towards a better future for him. One where he is happier and confident in his place with them. Logan will make sure he gets there sometime, rewriting all the nightmares along the way.


End file.
